More than 30 Waubonsee Community College student leaders signed a special banner at their annual leadership retreat on Oct. 8, pledging to spread the word to their fellow students about the importance of earning a college credential.

College completion has become a national and state priority as the United States looks to fill an estimated 1 million “middle skills” jobs by 2016, and Illinois seeks to increase its population of working-age adults with college credentials from 41 percent to 60 percent by 2025.

Waubonsee is now in the third year of its Project Graduation initiative, which has included the revision of several degree programs, the introduction of an online degree audit system and the streamlining of the graduation petition process. Last month the college’s board of trustees approved “Accepting the College Completion Challenge: A Call to Action,” a document drafted by the American Association of Community Colleges and the Association of Community College Trustees.